Police rescue 92-year-old man who spent night outside

Published 2:32 pm Monday, November 13, 2023

Oregon State Police troopers rescued a 92-year-old Washington man last week who spent a night in below-freezing temperatures near the Baker City Airport.

Larry Hendrickson, of Newport, Washington, is recovering after the ordeal, according to a press release from OSP.

Police were notified about 3 p.m. on Nov. 7 that Hendrickson, who was last known to be driving west on Interstate 84 near North Powder, had failed to reach his destination as planned. The next morning, troopers found Hendrickson’s car abandoned on West Airport Lane a few miles northeast of Baker City.

A trooper and a Baker City Police officer found Hendrickson nearby, down an embankment where he had fallen and was covered in vegetation. He was conscious and breathing. A Metro West ambulance responded and took Hendrickson to the hospital. The ambulance was called at 6:17 a.m., according to the Baker County Dispatch Center log.

“We are grateful for this positive outcome,” said OSP Capt. Kyle Kennedy. “Cold weather exposure can be life-threatening and another night in these conditions may have been fatal.”

The temperature at the airport dropped to 22 degrees early on Nov. 8.

Kennedy, in responding to an email request from the Baker City Herald, wrote that Hendrickson’s car was parked, and had not been in a crash. Kennedy wrote that he didn’t know Hendrickson’s travel itinerary.

Kennedy encouraged drivers, as Hendrickson did, to make sure others know their travel plans.